Cooling an electronic chip package in an electronic device, e.g., a gaming console, projector, etc., may be accomplished using forced convection in which a fan blows air over the chip package and/or a heat sink connected to the chip package. A fan refers to any mechanism that uses motive force to move air, and can also be referred to as a forced air mechanism. While forced air convection systems generally provide sufficient cooling capacity for the chip package, fans have some undesirable qualities. For example, fans consume power, generate audible noise, cause vibration which may damage components in the electronic device, and can lead to overheating and failure of components in the electronic device in the event that the fan fails to operate.
Cooling an electronic chip package in an electronic device may be accomplished without using a fan by utilizing other heat transfer mechanisms, such as natural convection. Such approaches typically involve attaching a passive heat sink to the electronic chip package. However, natural convection cooling systems that do not utilize a fan typically have less cooling capacity than those that do use a fan, since convective heat transfer increases with increasing velocity of a moving fluid. This reduced cooling capacity can result in the chip in the electronic chip package operating at higher temperatures, which can affect the functional frequency and/or reliability of the chip
Accordingly, there exists a need in the art to overcome the deficiencies and limitations described hereinabove.